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FOCUS ON FRESHWATER

The impacts of climate change are most visible in the dramatic changes occurring to the planet’s freshwater resources. Reduced water availability will be one of the key impacts of climate change for many world regions and people. – World Wildlife Fund

The global challenge is how to meet the water demands of an estimated 8 billion people by 2025 while protecting the ecosystems that support life on the planet. We must share water—with nature and with each other. – National Geographic Society Freshwater Initiative

Freshwater is drinkable water. Unlike ocean water, freshwater has a very low concentration of dissolved salts. It is found in rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, groundwater, springs, floodplains, and wetlands. It is crucial for life. Did you know, however, that only 3 percent of the earth’s water is fresh, and two-thirds of that is inaccessible to humans, frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps?

We use freshwater not only for drinking. It’s also needed for sanitation, hygiene, and farming, not to mention to support a diverse population of plants and animals. It is renewable in the sense that sources such as rain and snow can replenish or add to existing supplies. But as the climate shifts, bringing less precipitation to certain areas of the world, and as the world population grows, putting greater demands on the amount of freshwater needed or desired, some groundwater sources are facing depletion, and water tables in regions around the world are starting to fall.

It is easy for many people, especially those of us in the United States, to take freshwater for granted; obtaining a glass of water may be as simple as turning on a faucet in your home, making the flow of water appear limitless. For many people around the globe, however, including in Burkina Faso, freshwater is difficult to come by; it is an invaluable, prized, and expensive commodity.

In Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, for example, the city often suffers water shortages, especially during the driest months of May, June, and July. Only about a quarter of city residents have access to private taps, and most residents must obtain water from vendors at very high prices. In addition, most households rely on pit latrines for toilet facilities, and are responsible for their own waste-water management, leading to poor sanitary conditions throughout the city.

In rural areas and in outlying areas of large cities like Ouagadougou, access to clean drinking water and hygiene and sanitary facilities is even more severely limited, contributing to a high incidence of waterborne diseases and a high child mortality rate. Lack of access to freshwater has also at times incited local conflict over how to best manage available water sources, and could in the future lead to population redistribution, political instability, and more pronounced regional conflict.

Between 2006 and 2007, as part of a targeted effort toward achievement of United Nations Millennium Development Goals, the government of Burkina Faso launched a national program for drinking water access and sanitation that involved drilling some 1,882 new wells. However, lack of trained professionals to manage these wells in rural areas meant that almost one-quarter of the new wells were initially non-operational. Building efficient and environmentally friendly systems, training enough professionals to help manage these new systems, and educating the Burkinabe people about the benefits of clean water and sanitation are some of the important keys to a healthier, more sustainable future for the nation of Burkina Faso.

Video Resources

VIDEO: Women Lead the Way. Details a self-help sanitation project supported by political and traditional leaders in Burkina Faso.